August 17

1960 The Beatles perform for the first time using that name. They appear at the Indra Club in Hamburg, Germany, where they play for four and half hours a night and six hours on the weekend, during a 48 night stay.

1966 As if he hadn’t said enough already, John Lennon makes another controversial statement when he expresses his admiration for American draft dodgers.

1967 Gary Puckett And The Union Gap record “Woman Woman”.

1973 Paul Williams of The Temptations died of a self inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 34. Williams had left the Temps in 1971 because of poor health. At the time of his death, he owed $80,000 in taxes.

1977 The day after Elvis’ death, Florists Transworld Delivery (FTD) reports that in one day, the number of orders for flowers to be delivered to Graceland has surpassed the number for any other event in the company’s history.

1992 Despite once being listed in the Guinness Book as the world’s highest paid entertainer, Wayne Newton files for bankruptcy, claiming he owes $20 million.

1993 Police in Los Angeles began an inquiry into child abuse allegations against Michael Jackson. The investigation began after the son of a Beverly Hills dentist told his therapist that Jackson sexually abused him. Although no criminal charges were ever laid, lawyers for the 13 year-old filed a civil suit a month later claiming damages for sexual battery, seduction and other allegations. The suit was settled out of court in January 1994 for somewhere between $5 to $24 million.

1997 A pair of Elvis’ black underwear was stolen from the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum in Los Angeles.

2004 Dan Fogelberg announced that he has been diagnosed with advance stages of prostate cancer. He would pass away on December 16, 2007.